“The St. Louis region is home to a skilled workforce with deep roots in the aviation industry and is an ideal production site for Boeing’s new 777x aircraft project. I’m pleased that Boeing is considering St. Louis as a top contender for this initiative.”

Boeing does have about 15,000 workers in the St. Louis area, the headquarters of its defense unit. But it doesn’t build any major components for its civilian aircraft there.

The company hasn’t said where it may locate production of the 777X if it doesn’t wind up in Everett. But The Seattle Times reported in early November that sources close to the company said an internal study identified Long Beach, Calif.; Salt Lake City; and Huntsville, Ala., as leading candidates.